Implementation Plan: Semantic Identity & Provenance

Deliver the unified identity, addressing, and provenance infrastructure for SEA-Forge™, including:

• Dual-state identity scheme (ifl:hash / ifl:token)
• Canonical normalization for deterministic hashing
• Internal Federated Ledger (IFL) for tamper-evident audit trails
• Merkle proofs and binding records linking semantic artifacts to attested identities

Consolidation Note

This plan consolidates the former P008 (Provenance and Ledger) and P016 (Identity and Addressing) into a single coherent implementation plan. The underlying specifications have been unified into SDS-050 (Semantic Identity & Provenance Infrastructure).

Provenance & Traceability

Architectural Decisions (ADRs)

Product Requirements (PRDs)

Software Design Specifications (SDS)

Superseded Specifications

The following specs have been consolidated into SDS-050 and should no longer be referenced:

Provenance Chain

graph TD
  ADR11[ADR-011: IFL] --> PRD3[PRD-003: IFL + Identity Tokens]
  ADR03[ADR-003: Isomorphic Architecture] --> PRD3
  PRD3 --> SDS050[SDS-050: Semantic Identity & Provenance]
  PRD3 --> SDS018[SDS-018: Canonical Normalizer]
  SDS050 --> SDS031[SDS-031: Authority Boundaries]

Architecture and Design

Design Principles Applied

• Isomorphism: Identity tokens map 1:1 to canonical semantic artifacts.
• Invariants: Deterministic hash stability and offline independence.
• Idempotency: Minting and verification are replay-safe (eventId/nonce + state checks).

Dependency Justification

Cryptography & Signing

Ledger Storage

Installation Commands

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# Node.js dependencies
pnpm add libsodium-wrappers merkletreejs protobufjs immudb-node

# Python dependencies
pip install pynacl pymerkle protobuf immudb-py

Expected Filetree

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/
├── docs/specs/shared/prd/003-internal-federated-ledger.md
├── docs/specs/shared/adr/011-internal-federated-ledger.md
├── docs/specs/shared/sds/050-semantic-identity-provenance.md
├── docs/specs/shared/sds/018-canonical-normalizer.md
└── docs/specs/shared/sds/031-authority-ownership-boundaries.md

Proposed Cycles

Task Breakdown

Wave 1 (Parallel)

• C1A: Finalize identity scheme and binding record rules
  • Implements: ifl:hash / ifl:token formats, URI addressing, state transitions
  • Satisfies: PRD-003, SDS-050 §1-3
  • Files: docs/specs/shared/sds/050-semantic-identity-provenance.md
• C1B: Lock canonical normalization rules for deterministic hashing
  • Implements: Stable normalization algorithm, collision handling, test vectors
  • Satisfies: SDS-018
  • Files: docs/specs/shared/sds/018-canonical-normalizer.md

Wave 2 (Depends on Wave 1)

• C2A: Finalize ledger proof formats and verification algorithms
  • Implements: Merkle inclusion proofs, state hashes, signature validation
  • Satisfies: PRD-003 acceptance criteria, SDS-050 §4-6
  • Files: docs/specs/shared/sds/050-semantic-identity-provenance.md
• C2B: Wire governance decision protocols into ledger requirements
  • Implements: Signed approvals, break-glass audit logging, SoD enforcement
  • Satisfies: SDS-031
  • Files: docs/specs/shared/sds/031-authority-ownership-boundaries.md

Validation & Verification

Spec Validation

• Identity formats and hash algorithm match SDS-050 exactly
• Canonical normalizer produces deterministic output across platforms
• Invariant references are consistent with active governance regime

Implementation Validation

• Pre-mint identity (ifl:hash) computed without network access
• Attested identity verifies with Merkle proof + signature
• Ledger transitions increment sequenceNumber by exactly 1
• Privileged actions are auditable and enforce SoD

Open Questions

1. Where does alias resolution live? Resolved: Defer for MVP; use UUIDv5 only.
2. Which component owns binding record creation? Resolved: CI pipeline.
3. Do we need federation/quorum semantics for MVP? Resolved: Single-node ledger.

Risks & Mitigation

Rollback Strategy

1. Operate in ifl:hash mode only while ledger service is stabilized.
2. Binding records can be created retroactively once ledger is available.

Related Documents

Linked Specifications